Saturday, January 5, 2013

We just got word that we are officially on our agency's (West Sands Adoption) waitlist!!
Woohoo!! The kids are so excited although I'm not sure they realize being #89 still means lots of waiting. But at least we are finally "officially" waiting and that gives us reason to jump!! We are hopeful we'll receive a referral in 2013.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Our paperwork is complete! I'm not sure which was more grueling to finish- the race to compile the adoption documents or the Thunder Road 1/2 marathon full of rolling hills. I have to say much to my surprise the latter was much more enjoyable. The idea of completing a race longer than a 10K has always seemed daunting to me. Although I've always loved to exercise and go to the gym for classes and such, running long distances has never appealed to me. I'm so glad I finally decided to bite the bullet and join the marathon craze. It was so fun to challenge myself and a total boost when I accomplished my weekly goals. If you've ever thought about doing one, Just Do It!!

So back to our adoption. Our dossier has been authenticated in the US and is now being sent to Ethiopia to be authenticated. Once this is complete, we will be on our adoption agency's (West Sands Adoption) wait list. When we started the process the wait list for an infant was 6-9 months. Now the wait is estimated to be at 14 months or longer! I'm bummed about the increase in time but knowing God already has the perfect baby boy picked out just for our family is comforting.

You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right - you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set. Psalm 119: 1-5

Friday, November 2, 2012

Tom and I are partnering with Ordinary Hero to raise money for the over 147 million orphans around the World. The statistics can be overwhelming yet we can all make a difference one child at a time. Ordinary Hero hopes to inspire people to do just that.
We will be running the Thunder Road half-marathon here in Charlotte on November 14th as part of the Ordinary Hero team.

We know we ask our dear friends and family every year to help us in our efforts to give back to Ethiopia. In years past you've helped us build wells and participated in water walks. We thank you for your support and do not want you to feel pressure to give every year. We'd love it if you would pray for this awesome organization and their efforts in changing the world one child at a time.

You can read more about Ordinary Hero at www.ordinaryhero.org. If you'd like to help us in our fundraising efforts you can give via the link below.
http://www.grouprev.com/ethiopia14

Sunday, July 8, 2012

If by chance anyone stills reads this blog (I'm really going to try and be better about posting to it!), I wanted to post some exciting news.
We are adopting again!! We just started the process to adopt "baby brother" as the kiddos affectionately refer to him as from Ethiopia.
My plan is to create a new blog with a more appropriate title since we will soon become the Jackson 6 so please check back for the new site link.
In the meantime, here are some pics of life these days...dance recitals for the girls, swim team for Syd, dreadlocks for Silas & summer fun at the beach.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Olivia

Sydney

Silas

We are in the process of adopting a boy from Ethiopia!! We brought home Silas from Ethiopia in July 2009 and can't wait to travel back to his birth country to bring home our son. God has truly blessed our family!